So yesterday I put the pencil to the paper and signed up for the Danbury Half Marathon on April 3rd. The first thought was, “hell yeah, finally I got something committed to drive my recently lazy ass towards…” Then I thought, “holy shit, thats like 8 weeks away…”
and by modified, I mean I lopped off the first 4 weeks!
So here’s the plan people:
I’m also running Ragnar in May then another Half in June – the first half of 2011 is coming together nicely!
I’ll keep you posted here, I look forward to training as I’ve just taken a 2 week hiatus to let the body recover and to avoid the 9 foot high snow in my town…spring, please come soon!
I didn’t have any real ‘goals’ for 2010. I just wanted to run, have fun, and get better. It was a good way to approach my first full calendar year of running and as I reflect at where I am today compared to January 1st of 2010, I am much stronger and a much better, smarter runner. So let’s get to it!
Summary/Stats/Analysis Total Miles = 601
Total Runs = 150
I didn’t realize until Mid-December that I could hit 600 as an even number…that’s the only time I really set a goal this year; to hit 600 miles. I ended up finishing that on December 30th with a nice 8 mile run along the river. I even tossed in an extra mile to get my point across!
Top Day/Week/Month
Top Day = 18.50 miles – RAGNAR Tennessee – 11/5, 11/6 (24 hour period)
Top Week = 21 miles – 2/22 – 2/28
Top Month = 63.6 – December
Races Run = 8
Top 3 Favorite Runs
Easy one! Ragnar New England, Ragnar Tennessee, Kent Pumpkin Run 5 miler.
Here’s why. Ragnar races are just plain fun. It’s a van full of folks who are somewhat like minded (they all run, right?). It’s an all nighter and then-some. It’s a great physical/mental challenge to run three demanding runs as you get more and more sleep deprived along the 200 mile journey.
The Kent Pumpkin Run was one of my favorite’s because I had a bunch of great friends make it to the run and I got to cross the finish line while pushing my kid in his stroller dressed like a lion. Just friggin awesome!
Top Lessons Learned Rest is AS important as the run… No doubt about this one. After Ragnar New England I got cocky and took a day off and paid for it with an IT Band flare up that plagued most of my summer running. After Ragnar Tennessee I took an entire week off and came back stronger than ever. I seemed to use that distance build from the race and the time off the following week to reset my base on acceptable mileage and that’s why you see the big jump in mileage in the above graph in November and December. The rest actually made me stronger.
I can chase speed or I can chase distance, but I can’t do both at the same time…
I started getting faster with my 5k’s in the summer. I got down in the lower 7′s/mile and that took a big toll mentally because I couldn’t get it through my head that I don’t always need to run that fast on training runs…that’s why they’re called training runs! As I started to cement my plan to build my mileage base in November I took my average run from a 3.68 miler (Jan thru Oct) to a 5.92 miler (Nov thru Dec). To do this, my pace is up almost a full minute per mile on the average for the same comparison time frame.
2011 Plans, Looking Ahead
Ok, so I’m not really good at setting stuff in stone…procrastination is one of my most endearing qualities, so much of my race’s just come up and I enter within the week of the race. Having said that, here’s what I want to do in 2011.
Run 800 miles – this is a lofty gain over the 600 I did this year, but I want to get it done
Run a Half Marathon – I’ve still never done it, it happens this year
and my stretch goal… Run a 50k – I know, I know…half marathon to a 50k? Here’s the deal, I don’t really feel like running a marathon and there are some gorgeous 50k trail runs in New England so I’m thinking I could attempt one in the fall…crazy or doable?
I all together forgot to do a close out report for October but it’s mainly because it was even par with September and that really was nothing to write about …I FINALLY ramped back up in the month of November.
For the first time since April (pre-IT Band flare up) my mileage climbed above the 60 mile mark! It was most notably assisted this time by the running of Ragnar Relay Tennessee where I ran 18.5 miles in the 30 hour period our team was running. It’s kind of odd, the last time I ran Ragnar (New England) I ended with a flared IT Band and having everything get turned upside down. This time with Ragnar Tennessee I actually feel the race made me stronger – here’s how…
After my first Ragnar in May I gave my body about 24 hours of rest after running 15 miles over a 26 hour period. My IT Band blew up on the second run I did which was just 3 days after the relay race…Lesson learned, point taken. This time around I took an entire week off after Ragnar. When that next Saturday rolled around I was eager as hell to run and put in a 6 miler on a run that was intended to be 4. In fact, since Ragnar TN all my runs have been longer and feeling great at that level. I’ve also been consciously slowing down to increase my mileage and get over the “chasing fast 5k’s” kick I was on for a bit there. It’s all in a effort to prepare my body for my big 2011 goal…
2011 It’s hard to believe that 2010 is almost gone. It’s been insanely fast and I’ve turned my sites to planning my 2011 running calendar. It’s all loose at this point, but I’ve got a Ragnar in May, a Warrior Dash in August…and…I’m thinking about the ultimate goal being a 50K at the Vermont 50. I had the chance to handle for a couple coworkers who biked the 50 mile version of the VT50 course in September and I loved the energy and seeing the runners trump around the mountains…I really wanted to be running it. In order to accomplish the goal I need to slow my runs way down and start piling on the mileage. I’m not a fan of structured running plans you see people using and prefer the method that Barefoot Ted told me about earlier this year, just put on miles…FUN miles. So yeah, I need to increase my mileage, but I need to make it fun and just go out there and not set time goals or push it past the point of being enjoyable. I realize at some point around July my weekly mileage needs to resemble something closer to my current monthly mileage. Does that scare me…yeah, lol.
The picture is of me and my son, and running partner, Noah just after finishing this 5 mile Halloween day run. What a blast! The race had over 600 entrants, compared to around 250 last year and that made for one packed race for the first couple of miles.
I had to start towards the back to be nice to the other runners since I was hauling the baby in the stroller, so this race wasn’t about speed, just fun. A few friends made it up and we all set off together in a TIGHT pack for the first couple miles…in fact my mile splits tell the tale of just how packed the roads got:
Can you spot me above? (ill give you a hint, I’m pushing a stroller with a lion in it)
The first half was spent navigating the crowds of people and trying to get some breathing room to open up the ole stroller pushing legs. By the time we got an open space the race entered a massive downhill section that I was loving and decided to just rocket down the hill.
This race was a blast – simple, friend filled fun
The finish line was actually pretty cool. At about mile 2 I was passed by that red stroller you see above and I decided to start Stroller Wars and beat other stroller pushing peeps. I got a good lead through the downhill then I heard these two guys yelling at me on the straight away through town and we all crossed the finish line together in epic stroller pushing fashion! We’re like a gang, except with strollers instead of cars and babies instead of guns…not a very good gang now that I think about it…
Last year I ran the Stone Tower Trail Run Challenge as my first 5k ever. I remember it hurting my Vibram Five Fingered feet badly, being really rocky, and really hilly. I also remember it was a ton of fun and an absolutely gorgeous trail to run.
So this year we found ourselves back in Mass. during this race’s weekend – woo hoo. A chance to actually run the same race and see if I’ve made any improvements!
The morning of the race was chaos. My son (aka alarm clock) didn’t wake up until 7:30am and the race check in is from 730 to 830 and it’s a 45 minute drive from my mother in law’s – yuck. We ended up making it in time but I was having stomach issues from rushing, drinking a gallon of coffee in the car and from the sinus drainage that’s been destroying my head for the past week. My wife and I actually drove around after check in until 920 (race start is 930) trying to find a suitable bathroom…no luck. Oh well, race time!
I noticed the race was thinner than last year, 40 participants compared to 50 for last year’s 5k. I chatted with a few racers about my Vibram’s…most people think you’re bat shit crazy for running trails in them, what’ya gonna do???
We took off. The first mile is a steady climb up fire road (read this as “gravel” and “rocks”). Here’s the crazy thing…I didn’t feel a damn thing on my feet. We hit the top and headed out on some single track that climbs and rolls. The single track is littered with large stones and roots…I hit a few areas that made me aware that I was running rocky trails but again, I really didn’t feel anything near what I experienced a year ago. The single track spits you back onto the fire road, this time headed downhil, but not for long. There’s a hard right turn back onto single track in the final half mile that shoots straight up hill to the Stone Tower…this hill beat my ass and I actually had to hike over 50% of it. After that, it’s all downhill, hopping from rock to rock until you shoot out of the single track onto the open field for the dash home.
I did WAY better than I was expecting coming in at 5th place overall with a time of 26:14. Last year I finished this race in just over 33 minutes…INSANE!
AND….I WON MY FRIGGIN AGE DIVISION!
My feet also held up amazingly. I employed my extra padding method of sticking an insole (toes cutoff) into my Vibram’s which I’m sure helps a bit, but I was perfectly good to go after the race. I really think my feet have adapted and also I’m better at subconsciously knowing where to place my foot as I run.
I can’t say enough about this race and the course management – they do an amazing job and I highly recommend it to anyone in the area!
It’s obvious that I don’t wear “shoes”. A year after I ran my first mile in the Vibram Five Fingers, I haven’t looked back, and wouldn’t. It’s totally not a bandwagon thing where I want to be different. If you read my story on here from last August, it’s that I can’t run in shoes because I’ll heel strike or ignore my running as a technique and my right knee will start on fire, almost literally. That doesn’t mean I don’t keep up on the latest industry trends.
We all know there’s now a race amongst the top shoe producers of the world to “get minimal” with their shoe lines. They spent that last 40 years chasing bulkier, spongier, more corrective shoes and now the market has finally gotten sick of being injured all the time and they are trusting their instincts to get back to the basics.
New Balance, with the release of the new Minimus Trail Shoe, is probably the best shoe advancement I’ve seen in this latest race to minimalism by major shoe brands. It’s bitter sweet for me to be honest. You see New Balance was the last shoe I owned that pretty much made me give up ever being able to be a runner. But then, they got Anton. Fellow Nebraskan, and ultra running god, Anton Krupicka is someone that I have followed for the past year now. He’s an all around great guy and his running philosophies are something I totally feel aligned with. I was waiting for what they would do with him at New Balance since they picked up earlier this year and this shoe now makes it clear that they listened to his every word.
So, if you must own a shoe to run in, and you run trails…this has to be the best one out there to date.
September was a great month! I came in at 44.6 miles, up from 41 last month. These conservative gains seem to be a key in keeping my technique from getting sloppy while building up strength to build miles/speed.
Speaking of speed – September had a 5k PR for me as well! A 22:35 which is pretty awesome considering a year ago I was running 5k’s at 11+ minutes/mile…
October is shaping up to be a solid month. I plan on playing it conservative, building mileage to the 50 mile mark. The first of November I will be traveling down to Nashville for another RAGNAR! I was hesitant to commit to it knowing the last RAGNAR killed my summer plans for running after the IT Band issues, but I feel I’m strong enough and smart enough now to take a second RAGNAR on. Those races really are sooooo much fun that as it draws near I find myself getting pretty pumped up.
I also had the chance to go last weekend to the Vermont 50 to crew for a couple friends who were doing the mountain bike version of the course. It was first live exposure to an ultra run race and I really liked it. I’ve now put that up on the board as a 2011 accomplishment, to complete the VT50 50k version and make it my first ultra run. We’ll see if the goal makes it to my final goals list by year end, but I think it allows me enough time to train and be ready for it.
This was an interesting one…The race takes place in the corporate park where my office is so I literally worked until 6p.m. then shut my office door, changed into my running gear, and walked about 100 yards to the registration booth. How’s that for an efficient race!
I had set out a goal to come in sub-24 minutes, a solid PR attempt for me. That would quickly change when, for an hour and half prior to the start it POURED rain. I stood out in the rain for a half hour to get acclimated (cold and wet) and luckily found a pair of Injinji wool socks in my running bag. Without the socks my feet get shredded when I run in the Vibram FiveFinger’s in the rain. A co-worker said, “what’s you goal now”…I replied, “sub-25″. The plan was really just to go out and run hard. This park is where I do my lunch runs so I have familiarity of every hill and bump along the way and knew I wanted to pour out my best performance on this course.
5 minutes to the gun. We positioned ourselves to the front line and…the rain stops! It actually quit and never came back, how’s that for timing? I took off hard at the gun because the road immediately curves and then shoots up a hill and I didn’t want to get behind a pack that was slower than me and spend the hill trying to get around them. I glanced down at my watch at the top of the hill and noticed I was pacing at a 6:30 minute mile…good god, I thought I was dead. I told a co-worker next to me, “well, I may have just ended this race taking that hill this fast…” thinking I would inevitably hit my wall. Lucky for me, that co-worker and fellow runner stuck with me through the first mile (he was sandbagging to make me feel better). When I looked down at my watch and saw that mile 1 was done in 7:08 I was sure the hills coming up were gonna end up killing me. My co-worker kept with me, chatting and trucking along until about 1.5 miles in when I noticed I was still pacing at a 7:10 minute mile and told him I need to slow up a bit or I’d never make it up the bigger hill towards the end. Like a slingshot, he was gone. Funny thing is, I actually met him at the finish line and he was smiling because he somehow ended up getting a PR.
I slowed up significantly in mile 2 finishing it at a 7:33 minute mile. In the final mile there is annoying hill. It isn’t massive, it isn’t long…it’s just annoying. It’s about a 100 foot climb in about .20 of a mile. I got up it doing great but then at the top I started to get upper chest cramps from all the heavy breathing the faster pace was doing to me. For the next quarter mile I slowed way up and tried everything to get the cramps to go away without stopping. They finally wore away just in time for me to fly through the final .4 to the finish line.
So…the final was a 22:35 official race result! 67th out of 292 runners.
I look at that graph and chuckle to myself. I mean, I’ve always been a bit inconsistent with just about everything, but my running is pretty much the definition of inconsistent. At the end of the day, I like that. It keeps it fun for me.
[BROKEN RECORD] – flare up in the IT Band after stupidly ramping mileage to 6 on 8/8 that resulted in me having to sandbag a week to let the legs rest.
Monthly Numbers & Data I was able to do 41.7 miles in August, a healthy increase from July which ended with 38. My monthly figures are trending in a positive direction as well.
I picked up a TriggerPoint GRID foam roller this month and have to say that the thing is a blessing for my legs. I roll them out quickly, focusing on the side thigh (IT Band) prior to a run and then I usually do a roll out of my legs again after the run after my legs have settled from a run. It’s just a great way to isolate your various legs areas (quads, Achilles, calf, etc) and give them a tear jerking “massage”.
I head into September optimistic, but purposely reserved. My speed has come way up, running low mileage runs in the 7′s…That’s a physical blessing and a mental curse. The faster I get the harder it is to convince my mind that YOU DON’T ALWAYS HAVE TO RUN AT YOUR FASTEST PACE. There I did it. I put it in all caps so it helps stick in my head.
On August 18th, 2009 I ran my first mile in this journey. It was an 11 minute single mile run that changed everything.
For once, running made sense to me.
For as long as I can remember before that day, running never seemed to be a possibility for me. It was either my knee, my cardio, or something inside me that I just felt would always keep me from running any measurable distance.
After that day my entire mindset changed. I became fully engaged in the sport of running. I started adding blogs to my favorites list of awe inspiring ultra distance runners. I began to think that anything was possible within the realm of running. It was that day that I became a runner.
And it hasn’t always been easy, or fun. Finding flow within my mind is as much a part of the journey as the physical act of running.
I’ve increased my average mile time from the 11′s to the 8′s and now dipping into the 7′s. I’ve experienced the joy of loving every second my foot hit the ground as I tromped through a long run along a gorgeous trail. I’ve felt the miserableness that an ice cold winter run can create when your body is screaming for you to sit in front of a fire instead of pushing it in horrible conditions. I’ve meet people who have helped changed my mindset and make me want to continue on and be able to do this forever. I want to be able to place someday in every race I enter…when I’m 70. I want my son to learn from me. I want people to take their first step to do the same thing I’ve done to help themselves to get the exercise their bodies are craving.
Weight dropped 30lbs in 6 months, never came back. Cholesterol dropped to 141. Blood pressure is perfect. Resting heart rate is 60.
It’s been an awesome first year of putting miles behind me. And to think it all started with a conversation in Newport, RI about how I should buy some Vibram Five Fingers to help the ole knee…thank god that conversation happened.
I’m also running Ragnar in May then another Half in June – the first half of 2011 is coming together nicely!
I didn’t realize until Mid-December that I could hit 600 as an even number…that’s the only time I really set a goal this year; to hit 600 miles. I ended up finishing that on December 30th with a nice 8 mile run along the river. I even tossed in an extra mile to get my point across!
…I FINALLY ramped back up in the month of November.
For the first time since April (pre-IT Band flare up) my mileage climbed above the 60 mile mark! It was most notably assisted this time by the running of Ragnar Relay Tennessee where I ran 18.5 miles in the 30 hour period our team was running. It’s kind of odd, the last time I ran Ragnar (New England) I ended with a flared IT Band and having everything get turned upside down. This time with Ragnar Tennessee I actually feel the race made me stronger – here’s how…
The picture is of me and my son, and running partner, Noah just after finishing this 5 mile Halloween day run. What a blast! The race had over 600 entrants, compared to around 250 last year and that made for one packed race for the first couple of miles.
September was a great month! I came in at 44.6 miles, up from 41 last month. These conservative gains seem to be a key in keeping my technique from getting sloppy while building up strength to build miles/speed.
this month and have to say that the thing is a blessing for my legs. I roll them out quickly, focusing on the side thigh (IT Band) prior to a run and then I usually do a roll out of my legs again after the run after my legs have settled from a run. It’s just a great way to isolate your various legs areas (quads, Achilles, calf, etc) and give them a tear jerking “massage”.